Miracles can be hard to believe, especially if you have never witnessed one. However,
seeing a miracle can give a person hope and help them to feel firm in their faith. Miracles can
provide comfort, strength, and reassurance. The belief that the impossible becomes possible is
found in Jesus. Miracles go beyond human understanding.'"Admit that you are looking at the
world as a Christian (but communicate with them that you are willing to try to understand where
they are coming from)1."
The resurrection of Jesus is a foundational belief in Christianity, but it can be difficult for
others to take this as a scientific fact. "We should not try to investigate the resurrection
historically because the resurrection is itself the ground of a Christian epistemology2."
Some who have grown up hearing the Bible stories take miracles and the resurrection as
absolute truth, but it is not so easy for skeptics.
Most people who do not believe in miracles say they are not explainable within the laws of
nature, which is true. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a miracle is surprising and not
explicable by the nature of scientific law3.
Trying to present a case for the resurrection being a historical fact will be difficult to prove to
someone who struggles to believe the Bible. A skeptic likely would not view the Bible as a
historical document. However, other documents from non-Christian historians affirm many of
the accounts provided in the Gospels.'
1 Chatraw, Josh, and Mark D. Allen. Apologetics at the Cross: An Introduction for Christian Witness. Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan, 2018.
2 Wright, N. T. (Nicholas Thomas). The Resurrection of the Son of God. London: SPCK, 2003.
3 Oxford Reference. ; Accessed 4 Mar. 2024.
https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100200612.
It is important to realize that a person's worldview shapes how they see everything, including
spiritual matters such as miracles.'A miracle goes beyond what humans can imagine, and God is
not bound by humanity. There are many examples in the Bible of God doing a miracle in the Old
Testament, such as all of the plagues (Exodus 7-11). In the New Testament, Jesus healed many
sick (Matthew 8:14-16), lame (John 5), and even dead people ( John 11). The disciples also did
these things in Jesus' name.
The Bible tells us that Jesus died, was buried, but was raised on the third day. By doing
this, he defeated death and offered salvation to all. Without this truth, there is no point in
Christianity or following Jesus. Although Christians view this event for spiritual reasons, it
should also be seen as a historical event. There are historical accounts of Jesus found outside of
the Bible, such as archaeologists have found items that go along with stories from the New
Testament, such as evidence of crucifixion and Jesus’ tomb4.
Non-Christians have writings about Jesus as a historical figure (not the Savior) but have evidence
of being Jewish, having followers, and being put to death.5
The New Testament, especially the Gospels, were written by people who were followers
of Jesus, so it is understandable why a skeptic would think this is biased. 6 “Scripture is clear that
humans are finite and sinful, and as a result, their perspectives are limited.”
4 Klein, Christopher, and Christopher Klein. “The Bible Says Jesus Was Real. What Other Proof Exists?”
HISTORY, March 24, 2021. https://www.history.com/news/was-jesus-real-historical-evidence.
5 Klein, Christopher, and Christopher Klein. “The Bible Says Jesus Was Real. What Other Proof Exists?”
HISTORY, March 24, 2021. https://www.history.com/news/was-jesus-real-historical-evidence.
6 Chatraw, Josh, and Mark D. Allen. Apologetics at the Cross: An Introduction for Christian Witness. Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018.
So, look to other writings outside of Christianity that were mentioned in Roman and Jewish
writings. Several other places mention Jesus and his life, death, and resurrection, which were not
Christian.
Flavius Josephus was a first-century historian who wrote about the Jewish people around
93 AD. He was not a believer but was well known and a commander in Galilee. He was not a
follower of Jesus'but was around when the early church was formed and was around Jesus
followers. “This places Josephus geographically and chronologically in a position where he
would have heard about Jesus from the church at its inception7.”
In Flavius Josephus's writing, "Jewish'Antiquities", he talks about a man who performed
miracles and was sentenced to death by crucifixion by Pontius Pilate. Another mention of Jesus
is found in the Annals of Imperial Rome from a first-century history of Rome written in 116 AD.
This was written by the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus. It mentions that Jesus was the
founder of Christianity and was put to death by Pilate. He was a Roman historian, so he had no
Christian biases.
Evidence from the Bible would be that Jesus appeared to his disciples after his
resurrection (John 20:19-20). He appeared to Thomas, a disciple, but was not with the rest of
them (John 20:24-29). 1 Corinthians 15:6 says that Jesus appeared to more than 500 people at the
same time. That is a lot of people to help confirm that an event happened. Many eyewitnesses,
including Stephen, later suffered and died for their beliefs in Jesus and the resurrection.
John 20:19 says the disciples were together but afraid (after Jesus's death), and they had the
doors locked. The disciples went from being scared to fearlessly proclaiming the truth about
7 Licona, Michael R. 2020.'The Resurrection of Jesus : A New Historiographical Approach. La Vergne: IVP.
Accessed March 5, 2024. ProQuest Ebook Central.
Jesus, as shown in Acts. They faced persecution but continued preaching the Gospel because
they had experienced life with Jesus and saw him defeat death.
The news of Jesus' life and death spread (shown in Acts). Jews and Gentiles heard and believed,
which shows how powerful the miracle of the resurrection was. This truth went through cultural
and societal boundaries. People were willing to die for this truth. Why else would they do this if
it were not true?
The resurrection of Jesus is vital to the Christian faith. Jesus took on all of humanity's
sins but conquered death when he was raised from the dead. Christians can put their trust in Him
because of eyewitness accounts, other historical writings, and the changed lives of Jesus'
followers. The New Testament contains reasonable claims in addition to an emotional response.
Eyewitnesses and other historical documents confirm that the events in the New Testament and
beliefs about Jesus are real, giving skeptics a reason to take these as historical facts.'
The fact that Jesus lived a sinless life died on the cross, and rose again is the heart of beliefs for
millions of people. Jesus' life and death give believers purpose.'
There are common doubts, such as whether the New Testament was written by believers
who followed Jesus. Because they were friends with Jesus, they had natural biases. It is not a bad
idea to test and search for evidence.'Many Christian and non-Christian historians have evidence
for Jesus' life and death. If there is evidence from unbelievers, it should be reasonable to believe
it to be true.'“The possibility of miracles remains a live issue in the philosophy of religion
today8.” Being skeptical towards miracles, especially something as phenomenal as Jesus'
resurrection, but if a seeking skeptic could keep an open mind and consider all of the evidence,
hopefully, they could have a change of mind and experience the transforming power of Jesus.'
8 Keener, Craig S. Miracles : The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker
Academic, 2011.
Chatraw, Josh, and Mark D. Allen. Apologetics at the Cross: An Introduction for Christian Witness. Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan, 2018.
Chatraw, Josh, and Mark D. Allen. Apologetics at the Cross: An Introduction for Christian Witness. Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan, 2018.
Keener, Craig S. Miracles : The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker
Academic, 2011.
Klein, Christopher, and Christopher Klein. “The Bible Says Jesus Was Real. What Other Proof Exists?” HISTORY,
March 24, 2021. https://www.history.com/news/was-jesus-real-historical-evidence.
Klein, Christopher, and Christopher Klein. “The Bible Says Jesus Was Real. What Other Proof Exists?” HISTORY,
March 24, 2021. https://www.history.com/news/was-jesus-real-historical-evidence.
Licona, Michael R. 2020.'The Resurrection of Jesus : A New Historiographical Approach. La Vergne: IVP.
Accessed March 5, 2024. ProQuest Ebook Central.
Oxford Reference. ; Accessed 4 Mar. 2024.
https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100200612.
Wright, N. T. (Nicholas Thomas). The Resurrection of the Son of God. London: SPCK, 2003.
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